First: This is the area that was dumped on by that dreaded "lake effect storm" coming off of Lake Erie. Fortunately, school was on winter recess when the storm hit. The kids' return to buses and school was delayed until yesterday, Monday, a longer-than-anticipated vacation for kids and their SB drivers. The buses would have to be slowed down, though because I don't think all of the streets clear yet. There are not many places to put up to seven feet of snow! It was and is being done by the city, national guard and others and they truck it away! The local medias show kids in the streets.

Second: I found out the hard way that school bus drivers are N*O*T considered professional drivers but part-time industrial workers when I was injured at a dangerous bus terminal. I also learned that my injuries were a Vehicular Accident even though the bus I fell out of in the dark, wet terminal was being used for storage, not as a vehicle; although I bet it was unloaded of the many booster seats and on the road shortly after I fell out of it!

Third: No, age 65 should be the retirement age for drivers; not the starting age for new hirees! After 21 years sb driving, I saw more than the public would know about.

Fourth: I posted a comment at the Question of the Month about the chance for advancement on sb driving jobs, and, I want to add that I feel strongly that moving into managorial positions should come from within but often don't. I'll always remember the backward attitude of a new manager, never having driven anything but his car, who wanted to carry on a discussion with me over the bus radio while I was in heavy traffic with a busload of kids in the process of making a turn! Fresh-out-of-business-school types just don't get it! This is where experience REALLY COUNTS.

Fifth: The UTU newspaper has two different responses about the BLE joining them. I would guess the front page version is the accurate one. The Bus Dept. is getting a new vice-president as of 2-1-02. It is not clear if the new man will have a Bus Dept. column. --But, I doubt there will be a SCHOOL BUS DEPARTMENT COLUMN instead of lumping the full-timers in with the sb drivers and rarely having anything in about SB driving! The heading on page 7, UTU Supports Legis. to Protect Bus Drivers. Although SB drivers are mentioned briefly, the long column is about full-time public trans. drivers. There is $200 million in grants for 2002 to private trans. companies. I wonder if that includes sb companies and if so will it be spent for the safety of the sb drivers? This union need to place women in high positions. Women in the UT news are a rarity.

quote:"...school bus drivers are N*O*T considered professional drivers but part-time industrial workers ..."

Who made this determination? Not to sound like a femiNazi but.... The powers that be tend to be men, the over the road bus drivers tend to be men and school bus drivers tend to be, you guessed it, women. Or retired men looking for part time work and more concerned about not going over the Social Security limits than getting better pay, benifits and respect.

quote:"... age 65 should be the retirement age for drivers; not the starting age for new hirees ..."

Yeah, but then they wouldn't get away with such insulting pay scales.

quote:"... the backward attitude of a new manager, never having driven anything but his car ..."